~March 15, 2074~
"Well, here we are class!" says Ms. Jackson.
We all rush to the windows of our spacecraft. There my class sees a spectacular view of a two-toned moon, Iapetus. On one hemisphere Iapetus is a snow-white color and on the other hemisphere, it is a coal-black color. Some people call Iapetus the "Yin-Yang moon" of Saturn because of this colorization.
"Can anyone tell me who discovered this moon?" Ms. Jackson asks the class.
"Giovanni Cassini!" someone, probably science kid Matteo, shouts.
"Correct Matteo, and when did he discover it?" Ms. Jackson asks him.
"Uhhh, 1671?" Matteo answers.
"October 25 of 1671, you mean." quips Melvie, our class diva, with a toss of her hair.
"Both of you are right but Melvie, please wait for your turn to speak." Ms. Jackson replies, with a look of exasperation on her face. Some kids in the back snicker but Melvie shoots them an evil eye, and they quiet down. "Alright let's see who remembers this topic. How much would a person who weighs 100 pounds on Earth weigh on Iapetus?"
People whisper to each other but no one volunteers the information.
"Anyone?" Ms. Jackson asks, her eyebrow slightly raising as it does when nobody answers her question. I slowly raise my hand. "Yes, Ari?"
"The person would weigh 2.3 pounds." I answer quietly.
"Yes! Correct Ari!" Ms. Jackson exclaims happily.
Next to me, Tami whispers "Good job chica" and I smile at her.
"What is the atmosphere here made out of?" Ms. Jackson asks.
Matteo smirks and replies, "That's a trick question. Nobody really knows if Iapetus even has an atmosphere. Some scientists think that if it does, the atmosphere would be extremely thin and made out of water particles, ammonia, or methane."
Ms. Jackson smiles and nods, "Exactly right Matteo."
Someone says "And another point for Matteo." Everyone laughs.
"Okay class last question before we venture down to our Iapetus. What is that line near the equator?" Ms. Jackson asks.
Tami raises her hand. "That is an equatorial ridge which runs three-quarters around the moon."
"Right! That ridge is believed to have formed when tidal interactions tore the moon apart and the debris formed a ring around Iapetus. The debris then rained down on the moon forming the ridge we see today." explains Ms. Jackson.
The words "cool" and "awesome" arose from my class.
Minutes later, our class finally emerges from our spacecraft, and we form a group on the surface of Iapetus, the 11th largest moon in our solar system. Everyone suddenly quiets as we look across the moon at a magnificent sight. There all of our eyes are filled with the beautiful rings of the heavenly body Saturn.